Having fun with a new nail shape and Illamasqua!

Hello there!  I have been tossing around the idea of changing my nail shape, and a couple days ago I decided to give it the GREEN LIGHT!

Yep, I've gone ALMOND! or ALMOND-ESQUE, using Illamasqua.  I researched the best way to alter the natural nail shape and I decided to file them ONLY (instead of using clippers), using a cardboard file first, and then finishing them off with a crystal file.

I used Illamasqua "Scorn", "Speckle" and some added jewels.  Let me know what you think!



Illamasqua "Scorn" and "Speckle", 2 coats each with top coat

"Speckle" is from Illamasqua's Imperfection Collection of 2013. It came in mint green, light blue, pink and tan. I love the lilac and after 2 coats, it was perfectly opaque and what's even better is that it dries smooth.  Oh yeah, I love a smooth drying glitter.

For the accent finger, I used "Scorn".  "Scorn" is a black polish that dries with a smooth rubber finish. It's very cool, but because I wanted my manicure to last, I used my usual top coat routine to protect the nail and the added jewels. Sooo no cool rubber effect :(

 After I was done, I added a matte top coat (avoiding the jewels) to the entire nail.

Since my nails naturally curl as they get longer, I decided that maybe "almond" is the best shape for me.

Before....

After...

The difference is subtle for now. Maybe this weekend I will take the time to narrow the tip of the nail, a bit more.  

After three days I can say that I LOVE my new almond nail shape...what do you think? :) <3 p="">
Keep It Sweet!

Bring on the neons!

Yep, it's finally starting to get warm and you know what that means...NEON'S!

I'm starting my Spring/Summer off right with neon's! The first color I grabbed was "Gamma" by Illamasqua, and a coordinating glitter "Carmen" by Shimmer Polish!

I applied four coats of "Gamma", since it is so thin, and three coats of "Carmen" on the accent finger. "Gamma" is a great color by Illamasqua and does not require a white base coat, however it is THIN! Thinner than I was expecting.  I love the color, but I'm not sure I would endure another four coats to get it. :)

"Carmen" is a great a great glitter mix of coppers and gold. I think the copper elements pair well with the neon creme, and the two make a great couple.  Both polishes dried smoothly, and were easily topped with top coat, no major issues.

What is your favorite neon to wear?

Keep It Sweet!

Yellow Ombre Manicure

Happy Yellow day...no actually it is National Hot Dog Day today, and what's the best condiment on top of a hot dog?...MUSTARD! Well, at least that's what I like on it :)

So in honor of this day, I give you a yellow ombre manicure!

Thumb to Pinkie:

Ilamasqua "Scorch"
China Glaze "Lemon Fizz"
China Glaze "Happy Go Lucky"
Barielle "Lemon Drops"
Essence "Sundancer"

I tried to find a super light yellow creme in my stash that would have worked instead of the white thumb, but.... no dice! I thought Sally Hansen "Yellow Kitty" would work, but it was not light enough.

Here are all of my yellow creme colors, that I swatched to find the right shades...

As is typical of most yellow polishes, these required 3 coats to be perfectly opaque, with no bald spots!

Happy National Hot Dog Day!

Keep it Sweet!...your life...not the hot dog, LOL! :)

Sonoma Nail Art "The Puck Stops Here"

I Love Snoopy!

Technically I love Lucy more than Snoopy, but all-in-all, the Peanuts characters rock! Anyone and everyone can find a character they identify with in the Peanuts line-up, Lucy is mine...but I'll share her with you, LOL!

Anyway, when Sonoma Nail Art released the polish "The Puck Stops Here" in honor of Charles M. Schulz, I was on it like a dog to ice (Snoopy reference), LOL! :)

I paired it with Illamasqua "Caress", and the 2 made the perfect pair.

I did 2 coats of the Illamasqua for the manicure and then for the accent finger I applied 1 coat of the Illamasqua and 2 coats of  "The Puck Stops Here". 

I wore this for an astounding 5 days and these pics are after 4 days! Tip wear, no chips!

I wore this manicure for 5 days for 2 reasons....#1: I fell in love with this manicure and #2: I was immensely busy at work, and by the time I got home I was too tired to change it, LOL! :)

Sonoma Nail Art "The Puck Stops Here" is a "wintry blue polish inspired by Snoopy's Ice Rink in Santa Rosa, California. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz was an avid hokey player and hung out at his ice rink all of the time. Lots of people still enjoy a skate around the rink and a hot chocolate at the Warm Puppy Cafe. The Puck Stops Here features multiple shades of blue and silver, with a smattering of white shredded glitter. "

Illamasqua "Caress" is a baby blue creme. The color of the perfect sky in Spring. :)

Also, after the manicure dried for a couple minutes, I topped it with my usual duo of OPI "Top Coat" and then Seche Vite.  

That's it ....all done!

Keep It Sweet!

Opposites Attract!

Hi! So as you may guess, I have been enjoying the new texture craze, and here is a manicure I wore last week that got a lot of attention!

I decided to combine the new texture polish craze, with the latest trend of combining black and white for Spring.  So pretty, and so simple.  :)

Illamasqua "Scorch", and Zoya "Dahlia".

I applied my usual base coat, and then alternated 2 coats each of Illamasqua "Scorch" and Zoya "Dahlia".  I did add top coat to "Scorch", but added nothing to "Dahlia". Dark...light...rough...smooth...I love it!

Bottle Shot

Zoya "Dahlia" is apart of Zoya's Spring 2013 PixieDust Collection. It is a black textured polish with fabulous glitter.

Bottle Shot

Illamasqua "Scorch" is a basic white creme. Great coverage, great application.

I love the new texture trend, and if you haven't given it a try, I suggest picking up one of the Zoya's, because the added glitter is so perfect for catching  the light of the new Spring sun :)

Keep It Sweet!

Max Factor "Fantasy Fire" over Illamasqua "Baptiste"

Hello, on this gloomy rainy Southern California day!

I have a treat for you! I finally got my hot hands on Max Factor "Fantasy Fire". This color is all the rage in the nail community because it is a close dupe of Clarins "230". Unfortunately it is not manufactured or available in the US, and can be found only in the UK at a store called "Boots". But thankfully, I have friends in far places, and I was lucky enough to have this color purchased for me and shipped to my door step, YAHOO!!!!!

Now...FF is okay on it's own with 3 or more coats, but it is best over another color. I choose the ever popular Illamasqua "Baptiste", and it was AMAZING!

This is 2 coats of "Baptiste" and 1 coat of "Fantasy Fire".

After 3 days and it was still awesome! ...and indoors...

It looks like burning embers in a slow burning fire! So cool!

If you can get it, GET IT!!! That's all I'm sayin! LOL :)


Keep It Sweet!

Electric Purple Polish Comparison

Okay, so I had a request to compare my bottle of Essie "Viva La Vespa" to other electric purple polishes, to see if she has a sister in the group. I heard that Essie "Sexy Divide" is a pretty close comparison, but I do not own it, so I had to work with what I had in my stash...

Left to Right: Rimmel "Violet Metal", Catrice "Poison Me, Poison you", Essie "Viva La Vespa", Illamasqua" Baptiste", "China Glaze "Coconut Kiss", China Glaze "Let's Groove", Diamond Cosmetics "Monarch Masquerade".

Not a bad line up...LOL,  but I think the closest in color and shimmer are....

Left to Right: Rimmel "Violet metal", Illamasqua "Baptiste", Essie "Viva La Vespa", Catrice "Poison Me, Poison You", and China Glaze" Coconut Kiss".

Thumb to Pinkie: Rimmel "Violet metal" (thumb), Illamasqua "Baptiste", Essie "Viva La Vespa", Catrice "Poison Me, Poison You", and China Glaze "Coconut Kiss". 3 coats on all.

Thumb to Pinkie: Rimmel "Violet metal" (thumb), Illamasqua "Baptiste", Essie "Viva La Vespa", Catrice "Poison Me, Poison You", and China Glaze "Coconut Kiss". 3 coats on all.

As you can see, Baptiste is too deep to be a dupe of VLV, the closest matches from my stash would be The Rimmel and Catrice.The Rimmel has the same color base, but the blue flash sets it apart from the Essie.  :)

Essie "Viva La Vespa", has a great "inner fire", that is simply gorgeous on the nail and in person!
 

Before doing this comparison the Catrice was my favorite, but now I'm loving Baptiste.  This will definitely be my next manicure!

 Thumb to Pinkie: Rimmel "Violet metal" (thumb), Illamasqua "Baptiste", Essie "Viva La Vespa", Catrice "Poison Me, Poison You", and China Glaze "Coconut Kiss". 3 coats on all.


Out of the 5, which is your favorite?